Mixing device



y 1967 J. T. DOUGHERTY 3,318,581

MIXING DEVICE Filed July 11, 1966 INVENTOR.

Jwmes T Dougherb y BY 9W &

ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,318,581 Patented May 9, 19673,318,581 RHXING DEVICE James T. Daugherty, 3125 Dunbar-ton Drive NW.,Canton, Ohio 44708 Filed July 11, 1966, Ser. No. 564,294 6 Claims. (Cl.259-72) The invention relates to mixing devices for use in paint stores,hardware stores, automobile body and paint shops, laboratories, andother places Where it is frequently necessary to shake cans of paint andother materials which may have been sitting in one position for aconsiderable length of time so that the pigments and other solidingredients have settled to the bottom of the can.

Such devices as are at present in general use for this purpose are quiteexpensive, and furthermore they are not entirely satisfactory as theyreceive a paint can in a somewhat upright position slightly oscillatingthe can while shaking it laterally, and this treatment does notthoroughly mix the paint.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive andeasily operated device for shaking a com tainer to thoroughly mix theingredients therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mixer of the characterreferred to in which the container is continuously slowly rotated endfor end in one direction, Ivhile at the same time being rapidlyreciprocated lateral- A further object of the invention is to providesuch a device with means for receiving and holding a quart, pint orhalf-pint size can of paint or other material and thoroughly mixing thesame.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from thedrawing and following description, or which may be later referred to,may be attained by constructing the improved mixer in the mannerhereinafter described in detail and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing.

In general terms the invention may be briefly described as comprising apaint-shaking device which may be mounted upon a portable base plate orthe like, and which comprises an electric motor, a gear reductionoperatively connected to the motor as by a belt and pulley, a rotatable,longitudinally reciprocal shaft mounted in bearings supported upon thebase plate and having at one end a can holder, a relatively slowlyrotating pulley upon the gear reduction being connected by a belt to apulley upon the rotatable shaft and slowly rotating the can holder, anda relatively rapidly rotating pitman wheel upon the gear reduction beingconnected by a pitman rod to a ring rotatable upon said shaft and heldagainst relative longitudinal movement thereon for rapidly reciprocatingthe can holder.

The can holder has a clamping screw adapted to normally clamp a quartcan of paint therein. An adapter is provided for insertion into the canholder so that either a pint or half-pint can of paint may be clampedtherein as desired.

A preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a paint mixer isillustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a paint mixing device embodying theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 3 is a detached sectional view of the can holder, showing theadapter for clamping pint and half-pint cans therein.

Referring now more particularly to the embodiment illustrated in thedrawing, in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout,the device may be portable and mounted upon a base plate indicated at 1,which may be a rectangular metal plate on which is mounted the electricmotor, indicated generally at 2, as by screws 3 located through the baseflanges or feet 4 of the motor and into the base plate 1.

The motor shaft 5 is shown with a small V-pulley 6 fixed thereto as bythe set screw 7 located through the hub 8 of the pulley. Adjacent to themotor 2 a gear reduction 9 is located, being shown in the drawing asfixed upon a support .10 as by screws 11, the support being fixed uponthe base plate as by screws 12.

The drive shaft 13 for the gear reduction 9 has a relatively largediameter pulley 14 fixed thereon as by the set screw 15 in the hub 16 ofthe pulley. The pulley 14 is connected to the motor pulley 6 as by theV-belt 17.

A shaft 18 is rotatably and longitudinally reciprocally mounted inbearings 19 which are shown as secured upon the upper ends of posts 20as by bolts 21 located through ears 22 upon the bearings .and throughthe flanges 23 at the upper ends of the posts. The posts 20 are securedto the base plate 1 as by screws 24 located through the lower flanges 25on the posts.

A relatively slowly rotating driven shaft 26 upon the gear reduction 9has a V-pulley 27 fixed thereon as by a set screw 28 in the hub 29 ofthe pulley. This pulley is connected as by belt 30 with pulley 31 fixedupon the rotatable and reciprocal shaft 18 as by a screw 32 in the hub33 of the pulley 31.

A relatively rapidly rotating driven shaft 34 upon the gear reductionhas 'a pitman wheel 35 fixed thereon as by the set screw 36. A pitmanrod 37 is pivotally connected at one end to the wrist pin 38 upon thepitman Wheel 35. The other end of the pitman rod 37 is pivotallyconnected to a stud 39 upon a ring 40 which is rotatably mounted uponthe shaft 18 and held against longitudinal movement relative to saidshaft as by the collars 41 fixe to the shaft 18 as by set screws 42.

The paint can holder, indicated generally at 43, is fixed upon one endof the rotatable and reciprocal shaft 18 as by the nuts 44 and is in theform of a yoke having the spaced flanges 45 and 46 between which a paintcan is adapted tobe inserted. The flange 46 has an internally threadedboss 47 through which is located the clamping screw 48 having theclamping disc 49 upon its inner end.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a quart can of paint, as indicated at 50, maybe clamped between the flanges 45 and the clamping disc 49. Aconventional flexible electric cord 51 may be connected to the motor 2and provided with conventional plug-in points for attachment to anelectric circuit in usual and well known manner.

With a can of paint, as shown at 50, clamped within the holder 43, whenthe motor'2 is energized the gear reduction 9 will be driven therebythrough the pulleys 6 and 14 and belt 17. The shaft 18 will be veryslowly rotated by the pulleys 27 and 31 and belt 30 and will be veryrapidly reciprocated longitudinally by the pitman wheel 35, pitman rod37 and ring 40.

The holder 43, with the can of paint clamped therein, will be slowlyrotated end over end, by the shaft 18, this rotation being preferablyanywhere from 4 to 9 rotations a minute, while the holder 43, with thepaint can is at the same time rapidly reciprocated laterally bylongitudinal reciprocation of the shaft 18, this reciprocation beingpreferably at the rate of 400 or more per minute.

By actual experience, it has been found that this continual rotation ofthe can, end for end, while it is rapidly reciprocated laterally causesthe solid ingredients which have settled to the bottom of the can to bethoroughly intermixed with the liquid contents of the paint in a muchmore satisfactory manner than is possible with such paint mixing devicesas are now in general use.

In order to hold pint or half-pint cans of paint in the holder 43, anadapter, indicated generally at 52 in FIG. 3, may be provided. Thisadapter is of hollow, cylindrical larger diameter end 53 being locatedagainst the clamping.

flange 45 of the holder, while the smaller diameter end 54 receives oneend of the half-pint can shown in broken lines at 56, the other end ofthe can being received against the clamping disc 49.

It should be understood that for mixing larger cans such as gallon cansof paint, the holder 43 may be increased in size so as to clamp the endsof a gallon can between the flange 45 of the holdenand the clamping disc49 thereof.

A preferred rate of speed of the device, which has been found to givehighly satisfactory results in actual practice, is seven revolutions ofthe shaft 18 per minute while said shaft is simultaneously beingreciprocated at the 7 rate of 430 reciprocations per minute.

Although the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated and abovedescribed in detail shows the invention as applied to a paint mixer, itshould be understood that the invention is not limited to paint mixersbut is applicable to devices for mixing and homogenizing variousmaterials containing liquids and solids, or liquids of various Weights.

' In the foregoing description certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because suchwords are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to bebroadly construed.

7 Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated anddescribed herein are by way of example, and the scope of the presentinventionis not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discoveryfthe construction, theoperation, and use of preferred'embodiments thereof, and theadvantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and usefulconstruction, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious tothose skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims. 7 7

I claim:

1. A mixing device comprising a, driven shaft, bearing means supportingsaid shaft for rotation around its axis, a

. and for longitudinal reciprocation along said axis, a can holder atone endof said shaft, means upon said holder for clamping a can thereinat right angles to the axis of said shaft, means for continuouslyrotating said shaft in one direction, and means for simultaneouslyreciprocating said shaft longitudinally so as to continuously rotate thecan end over end and simultaneously reciprocate it laterally. I 2. Amixing device as defined in claim 1, in which the shaft is continuouslyrotated in one direction at a relatively low speed and reciprocatedlongitudinally at a relatively high speed.

3. A mixing device as defined in claim 2, in which a power-driven gearreduction drives said shaft, there being a relatively low speed drivenpulley on said gear reduction and a belt connecting said pulley to apulley on the shaft for continuously rotating the shaft inone direction,and a.

relatively high speed driven pitrnan wheel-on the gearireductionconnected by a pitman rod to a ring rotatably mounted upon said shaftand held against longitudinal movement relative thereto, forsimultaneously rapidly reciprocating said shaft.

4. A mixing device as defined in claim -1, in which the shaft iscontinuously rotated in one direction at a speed of about 4 to 9rotations per minute and simultaneouslyreciprocated longitudinally at aspeed of about 400 recip rocations per minute. r

5. A mixing device as defined in claim 1, in

of about 7 rotations per minute and simultaneously reciprocatedlongitudinally at a speed of about 430 reciproreceiving one end of a,pint can, the other end of which i is' in contact with said clampingdisc, and said adapter having a small diameter end for receiving; oneend of' r a half-pint can,.the other end of which is in contact .with

said clamping disc.

References Cited by the Examiner a Y UNITED STATES PATENTS.

2,527,556 10/1950 KOSt 259-72 2,599,833 6/1952 Holmluud 2-59 722,797,902 7/1957 Beugler 25972 2,894,309 7/1959 Brzowski -u 259"72, 73,018,092 1/1962 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

R. W. JENKINS, Assistant Examiner.

which the. shaft is continuously rotated in one. direction at a speedJorgenson 25 9-42, a

Johnson 259-72 9

1. A MIXING DEVICE COMPRISING A DRIVEN SHAFT, BEARING MEANS SUPPORTINGSAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION AROUND ITS AXIS, AND FOR LONGITUDINALRECIPROCATION ALONG SAID AXIS, A CAN HOLDER AT ONE END OF SAID SHAFT,MEANS UPON SAID HOLDER FOR CLAMPING A CAN THEREIN AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THEAXIS OF SAID SHAFT, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING SAID SHAFT IN ONEDIRECTION, AND MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY RECIPROCATING